


we've got these days of summer

by dessertwaffles



Series: best friends to boyfriends [1]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, a high school best friends AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27791530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dessertwaffles/pseuds/dessertwaffles
Summary: Patrick shrugs sarcastically, raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes before turning back to the list. He’s pretty sure David’s not done talking about the aesthetic of his dorm room so he’s not surprised when he hears a dramatic sigh.“It’s just, grey towels would have matched the comforter you bought.”“I didn’t know coordinating linens were a requirement for a college dorm.”Or, David and Patrick spend one last day together before Patrick leaves for college.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Series: best friends to boyfriends [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2049711
Comments: 50
Kudos: 192





	we've got these days of summer

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in over eight years. I’m so grateful for this wonderful little show for bringing so much joy to my life and for inspiring me to write again.
> 
> A huge thank you to [DesignatedGrape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesignatedGrape) who gave this a read-through and provided encouragement and support.

“Okay, let’s go through the list one more time.”

Patrick pulls out a fresh copy of his college packing list, snaps it onto a clipboard, and uncaps his highlighter. He went through the list once while he was packing and now that everything is neatly organized into suitcases, crates, and boxes, he wants to go through it again, just to be sure. He wouldn’t want to show up to his first semester of college and realize he forgot to pack jeans. Or his textbooks. _Where are his textbooks?_

“David, where are my textbooks?” he asks in a panic. He crossed them off on his first list, but he can’t remember where he put them now and there’s definitely a chance that he crossed them off on accident. Hence the need for two lists. 

“They’re over here,” David says, indicating a cardboard box perched atop Patrick’s desk. Patrick pads over and peaks into the box, where David has apparently organized the books by spine color, forming a small rainbow of business terminology. Patrick smiles as he crosses “textbooks” off his second list. David is ridiculous, but Patrick thinks he’ll probably keep the books arranged that way in his dorm to remind him of his best friend. 

“Have you crossed towels off your list?” David asks, moving to a small blue suitcase at the foot of Patrick’s bed. It’s filled with towels in an assortment of vibrant colors and two pairs of blue striped sheets. 

“These are very...bright,” David remarks. 

“I didn’t want to lose them.” Patrick smirks. He’d gone shopping for college essentials with David earlier in the summer and David had visibly cringed when he saw the garish neon colors of some of the towels. Patrick had naturally picked the worst offenders and put them in his cart. 

“Do you often lose your towels?”

Patrick shrugs sarcastically, raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes before turning back to the list. He’s pretty sure David’s not done talking about the _aesthetic_ of his dorm room so he’s not surprised when he hears a dramatic sigh.

“It’s just, grey towels would have matched the comforter you bought.”

“I didn’t know coordinating linens were a requirement for a college dorm.”

“I told you that multiple times!” David huffs. Patrick shoots him a smile. He’s really going to miss David. They’ve been inseparable since they met in high school, but tomorrow Patrick is off to a college a few hours from their hometown and a week later David is heading to New York for a prestigious art program.

“I will keep it in mind if I lose these towels,” Patrick says. David tries to look annoyed, but he has to bite down on his lip to prevent himself from smiling, so it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Besides, Patrick has spent enough time with David to have memorized every one of his facial expressions. He knows when David’s smile is genuine, when it’s fond, when it’s fake or annoyed or ecstatic or proud. He knows when he’s trying to hide a smile or when he’s using a smile to hide something deeper. 

They continue going through the list for another hour until Patrick is satisfied that everything has been packed. He briefly considers printing out a third copy of the list _just to be safe_ but he decides against it and zips up his suitcases.

“Now we just have to load all of this into my dad’s car!” Patrick says brightly, laughing at the brief look of horror that flashes across David’s face. “I’m just kidding. You were very clear that you would help pack as long as manual labor wasn’t involved. My parents will help me load the car in the morning.”

David smiles at him, but it’s not a full smile and Patrick thinks he can detect some sadness behind it. 

“So, what do you want to do with the rest of your last day at home?” David asks.

Patrick has been working on a plan for weeks, but he doesn’t want to appear too over-eager, so he hesitates a bit before saying, “I, uh, I was thinking we could have a picnic in the field down the road? I actually started packing some stuff before you got here.”

“Is there cheese?”

“Of course there’s cheese,” Patrick says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. He hopes that David makes friends in New York who will never hesitate to buy him cheese. David’s eyes widen with excitement. “It’s in the fridge, along with some sandwiches. Everything else is in these bags.” Patrick grabs two backpacks from the corner of his room, hands one to David, and then leads his best friend to the kitchen. They load up the backpacks, David grabbing several things that weren’t on Patrick’s mental menu, and then head out the door.

The walk to the field takes less than ten minutes. It’s a beautiful day, the sun casting a golden glow over the grass, a slight breeze keeping the air warm and pleasant. A couple days ago, the weather forecast had predicted rain and Patrick had frantically searched the internet for large umbrellas he could have rush-shipped to his house before realizing a picnic in the rain would be unpleasant no matter how big the umbrellas. So he’d just crossed his fingers and made a wish at 11:11 and thankfully the weather seems to have responded. 

As they walk farther into the field looking for a perfect picnic spot, Patrick notices that David seems less excited than he did when he found out there was cheese.

“Everything okay?” Patrick asks, coming to a stop.

“Yeah, it’s just that there are lots of bugs in fields? And I don’t see any picnic benches?”

“I brought a blanket for us to sit on,” Patrick says, unzipping his backpack and removing a large blue knit blanket. He starts unfolding it and gestures to David to grab the other end so they can set it down. “And I also brought bug spray.”

“This is nice,” David says, looking at the blanket. “I can’t get chemicals on these clothes, though.”

“I figured that, so I also brought those bug-repellent candles. That’s why the backpacks are so full.”

David looks at him, a fond smile on his face and something twinkling in his eyes. Patrick’s heart flutters in his chest.

“I can set up the candles, if you want to unpack the food?”

David nods and gets to work taking out the sandwiches, crackers, cheese, cookies, and various other snacks that he’d grabbed from Patrick’s kitchen. Patrick puts the candles on the corners of the blanket and lights them. It’s a pretty big blanket, so if they stay in the middle he doesn’t think there’s much of a risk of knocking them over. When he’s done, he finds David sitting cross-legged, staring at the food and almost bouncing with anticipation. 

“You can start eating,” Patrick laughs, sitting down beside David and grabbing a plate. He lets David have first dibs, knowing he has an opinion on the correct cracker-to-cheese ratio (“If the cheese slice is too thick it’s hard to bite through it without the cracker falling apart, and if it’s too thin, then the cracker just overpowers the bite.”)

They eat in comfortable silence (aside from David’s frequent noises of appreciation), both hungry after a long afternoon of packing. Patrick likes that silence is never awkward between them; sometimes when they hang out, they just sit in the same room, each doing their own things, content to be in each other’s presence. He’s going to miss him so damn much. Patrick is excited for college and looking forward to making new friends, but he knows he’ll never find someone who means as much to him as David.

“What are you thinking about?” David asks, startling Patrick out of his thoughts.

“Oh, um, just tomorrow.”

David’s eyes flick downwards to his empty plate. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Sure,” Patrick says. He’s not really sure what he wants to say, but he goes for it anyways. “I’ve lived in this town my whole life and I’ve spent every school day with the same people. It’s going to be weird not having that.”

David shifts closer to him, ever so slightly, in a way that would be imperceptible if Patrick wasn’t always tuned in to David’s every movement. 

“I’m excited to meet new people and to learn about business and to have some independence,” Patrick continues. “But I’m nervous that everything is about to change. What if I hate it?”

David rests his hand on Patrick’s knee, warm and solid, sending a tingle down Patrick’s spine. “Well, I’m here for you whenever you need me. That’s not going to change.”

Patrick smiles and meets David’s soft brown eyes. “Thank you, David. I’m here for you too.” Their eyes linger for a long moment before Patrick asks, “How are you feeling about New York?”

“Pretty much the same except the part about being excited to meet new people.”

They talk until the sun sets, painting the sky in pinks and purples and oranges that eventually fade to a deep black, interrupted only by the bright twinkling light of the stars.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really looked at the stars. I mean, I’ve seen them obviously, but I’ve never stopped to just look,” David says.

“Really?” Patrick asks.

“I’m not much of an outside person? But they’re very beautiful.”

“You have to lie down for the full experience!” Patrick lies on his back, tugging on David’s arm to encourage him to lie down beside him. Patrick loves this view. All he can see is the sky stretching on forever and he’s grateful that he grew up in a place where he had easy access to such beauty. When he was younger, he would sit outside with his parents and they would try to locate the constellations. Sometimes his dad would bring a telescope and they would even be able to catch a glimpse of another planet.

“See that bright star right there?” Patrick asks, pointing. “That’s the North Star. It’s the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.” He traces his finger through the air outlining the constellation. “And then over there - “ he points again “- is the Big Dipper.”

“I was with you on the first one,” David says, squinting, his face scrunched up in confusion, “but, I don’t see the Big Dipper at all.”

Patrick points again and when David’s face remains adorably befuddled, he grabs his hand, adjusts it so David’s pointer finger is sticking out, and directs it to the constellation. He guides David’s hand to each star, drawing the constellation in the air, and he watches as David’s face lights up when he finally sees it.

“What other constellations are there?” David asks, making no move to free his hand from Patrick’s.

Patrick drops their hands to the ground while he searches the sky. He hasn’t done this in a while, so he’s a little rusty, plus he’s very distracted by the fact that David has laced their fingers together. He feels giddy with excitement when he finally spots it.

“There!” he says, pointing with the hand that is not currently holding David’s. “Those three bright stars are called Orion’s Belt.”

“I think I see it.”

“Orion was a hunter in Greek mythology. I can’t remember exactly which stars form the constellation, but I think it’s those ones.” He points to two stars below and several above the belt and the curved line that forms Orion’s shield.

“I am definitely not seeing a hunter,” David teases.

“Yeah, whoever named these constellations had quite the imagination.”

They fall into silence again, Patrick’s brain half scanning the sky for anything else he can remember and half memorizing the feel of David’s hand in his, the smooth skin so soft under his own callused fingers. It feels _right_ and Patrick never wants this moment to end.

“I’m really going to miss you, Patrick.” David’s voice is so soft, Patrick barely hears him. He turns his head to look at David and finds his face open and vulnerable, sadness hiding in his chocolate eyes.

“I’m going to miss you too,” Patrick whispers back and he feels his heart clench, a lump forming in his throat as the reality of not seeing David every day finally settles in. David, who’s been by his side for years, who’s cheered for him in the school musicals, who’s (somewhat) reluctantly attended most of his baseball games. David, who loves food but has no idea how to cook, who lights up when he talks about art and fashion, who listens to Patrick’s worries and fears and passions and dreams, who makes him feel _seen_.

The moonlight is casting shadows across David’s face, highlighting the angle of his jaw, the divet of his dimples, the curve of his mouth and he looks so beautiful that Patrick can’t help but move closer. He sees David’s eyes flick to his mouth and then he’s leaning in and their lips are lightly pressing together and it’s everything Patrick had ever dreamed about.

It’s over too quickly and David is looking at him with a question in his eyes. Patrick reaches up and rests his hand on David’s face, feeling the scrape of his stubble, and then he closes the distance between them, kissing him more firmly this time. David hesitates for a second and then he melts into it. Patrick tries to pour everything he is feeling into this kiss, _I’ve wanted to do this for years_ and _I’m going to miss you more than I can describe_ and _please don’t forget about me in New York_. He feels David’s hand on his back, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss and Patrick doesn’t think he could ever get enough of this.

They break apart eventually, but they don’t let go of each other and Patrick definitely has a goofy grin on his face, but David’s grin is just as goofy, so he doesn’t care.

“Thank you,” Patrick breathes. David’s eyebrows quirk up.

“For what?” he asks.

“I’ve, uh, I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time. And I was getting kind of worried that I was going to leave for school without us having done that.”

David’s mouth twists to the side in a lopsided grin. “How long?”

Patrick kisses him instead of answering, long and slow, reveling in the fact that he can finally do this. 

“Since you showed up at my first varsity game with a homemade sign,” Patrick answers against David’s mouth when they part. “Or maybe sooner. But that was the first time I remember thinking about it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” David presses a soft kiss to Patrick’s lips before pulling back to wait for an answer.

“I didn’t want to mess up our friendship,” Patrick admits. There were so many times this summer where he had almost kissed him, but every time he had chickened out. When they were shopping for college supplies and David lectured him on the correct weight of notebook paper, when they got soft serve ice cream and the corners of David’s mouth were covered in chocolate afterwards, when they were sitting in Patrick’s room and David started softly singing along to the radio. 

Then they’re kissing again and David is pulling Patrick on top of him and kissing his jaw and his neck and his mouth again. Patrick runs his hand through David’s hair and he feels David shiver underneath him, so he does it again and again as they kiss each other more fiercely. 

A loud sound rings out in the field, startling them both and Patrick groans when he realizes his mother is calling his cellphone. He rolls off of David to grab his phone and answer it. If he doesn’t answer, his mom will keep calling so he might as well get it over with the first time.

“Hello?”

“Just checking in to see how you’re doing, honey. It’s pretty late,” his mom says. He checks the time: nearly midnight.

“You don’t have to wait up for me, mom.”

“I just need to make sure you’re safe.” She pauses and he knows what’s coming. “We have to leave pretty early tomorrow so you should head home soon.”

David is running his fingers up and down Patrick’s arm and he wants to stay in this field with David forever. But he can’t, so he sighs and says, “I have to give David a ride home and then I’ll be back.”

“Okay. Drive safe. Be careful in the dark.”

“I will.” He hangs up and turns to David. “I have to go home. I don’t want to, but my mom insists.”

David nods and moves to start picking up the remnants of the food. Patrick gathers the bug candles, which a breeze had blown out hours ago, folds the blanket, and pretty soon their perfect night is packed neatly into two backpacks. They start the short walk back to Patrick’s house, moving much slower than they usually do, neither of them eager for the night to end.

“Hey,” Patrick says, bumping his shoulder against David’s. “I had a pretty great night.”

“Me too,” David says, his eyes shining with tears. Patrick puts a hand around his wrist, pulling him to a stop. Patrick wraps his arms around David’s waist and David’s come up around his shoulders and they hold each other on the side of the road, the moon and stars glistening in the night sky. The hug feels like a beginning and an ending; one part of their relationship coming to a close while a new chapter blossoms.

They pull away and Patrick keeps his arms loosely around David’s waist.

“When we’re both back for winter break, I’d like to take you to dinner. As a date. If you’d want that,” Patrick says, nervous even though they just made out in a field and it’s pretty clear that David feels the same way about him as he does about David.

A smile spreads across David’s face. “I’d like that.”

They both lean in and this kiss feels like a promise. Everything is about to change, sure, but they’ll be there for each other and they’re making plans for the future. And Patrick now has four months to plan their first date, so he’s pretty confident he’ll be able to come up with something as elaborate and romantic as David deserves. 

“Let me drive you home,” Patrick says, slipping his fingers in between David’s as they start walking again.

“You’ll text me when you arrive at school tomorrow?”

“I’ll probably text you when we leave and during the drive and when I get there.” Patrick smiles at him. “I don’t expect you to reply until at least 10am, don’t worry.” David laughs at that.

They get to Patrick’s car and he opens the passenger’s side door for David, closing it after he settles in. Then he hops in the driver’s seat, pulls onto the road, and reaches for David’s hand over the center console.

“Thank you again for tonight,” Patrick says, sneaking a quick glance before turning his eyes back on the road.

“You are very welcome,” David teases.

Too soon, they arrive at David’s house. Patrick puts the car in park, they both unbuckle their seatbelts, and sit in silence until David cups Patrick’s jaw with his hand and kisses him gently. 

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

“I think 7:30.”

David cringes. “I’ll try to be awake. So I can keep you entertained during the car ride.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Patrick says softly, but he’s touched and it makes him feel warm and fuzzy all over.

“I know. But I want to.” They smile at each other and then they’re kissing again and again and again until Patrick has to tear himself away so his mom doesn’t start calling to remind him how late it is.

David gets out of the car and walks around to the driver’s side window.

“I’ll see you for dinner on winter break,” David says.

“Hopefully lots of dinners,” Patrick replies and he basks in the sound of David’s laugh. “Goodnight, David.”

“Goodnight, Patrick.”

Patrick waits until David is inside before backing out of the driveway and heading home. This was the best night of his life, better even than winning the baseball championship junior year, but there’s still an undercurrent of nerves and sadness running through him. 

He parks his car, says goodnight to his mom, and gets ready for bed, his room still full of suitcases, crates, and boxes. He climbs under his covers and is about to close his eyes when his phone dings. It’s a text from David.

_Good luck tomorrow. You’re going to do great <3 _

He smiles, the heart in the text making his own heart soar. He sends back a quick reply. 

_Thanks. I’ll keep you posted. Looking forward to our dinner <3 _

He turns his phone on silent and closes his eyes. The nerves and the sadness are still there, but his overwhelming happiness is winning out. Everything is going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m on [tumblr](https://dessertwaffles.tumblr.com/) if you want to say hi :)


End file.
